How To Transfer Photos From Phone To Laptop

Your phone is a powerful computer that fits in your pocket. If you have an Android phone, you can plug it into any Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS computer and drag and drop files in either direction.

Android devices, unlike iPhones, let you access their file systems directly from a desktop without using a complicated interface or going through many steps. Moving files to or from an Android device is the same as moving files to or from an external hard drive that you plug into your computer.

You only need your phone, computer, and a cable to connect them. Depending on your devices, the line should have micro-USB or USB-C on the phone and USB-A or USB-C on the computer. (Most Android phones made after 2016 use the newer USB-C standard, while most devices made before 2016 use the older micro-USB standard. On the other hand, USB-A is the standard port you're used to seeing on computers, though more and more models are also coming with USB-C.) There's a good chance the cable connecting your phone to its wall charger will work.

How to transfer photos from phone to laptop

Things are as easy as they can be with Windows. Just plug your phone into any open USB port on your computer, turn on the screen, and unlock the device.

If you drag your finger down from the top of the screen, you should see a message about the USB connection. It will probably tell you that you can only charge your phone while it's connected.

Tap the notification, and in the menu that comes up, choose "Transfer files" or "File transfer." If you only want to move media files, you could also use the "Transfer photos" (sometimes listed as "PTP") option, which will treat your phone like a digital camera. Once you've made your choice, go to your desktop and open a File Explorer window in the way that makes the most sense for your Windows setup:

• Click the icon for File Explorer in your taskbar.
• Click This PC or Computer from the Start menu.
• Click the icon on your desktop that says This PC, Computer, or My Computer.

Then, look for an icon like your phone, among other portable devices and drives. Just click or double-click that icon, and there you go. You are looking at the internal storage on your Android phone. You can now click around and look through folders, drag and drop files between your phone and PC, and change the data in any way you want.

Wirelessly Transfer Photos

If you need to send photos from your phone to your computer, you can use email, Google Photos, or even a direct cable connection. But you might find transferring them wirelessly from phone to PC easier and faster.

Microsoft used to have an app called Photos Companion that lets iPhone and Android users transfer photos to Windows 10 PCs, but it has since been removed. Instead, Android users can use Microsoft's Your Phone app, while iPhone users will need to find third-party options that can do the job.

Your Phone

• To start with Your Phone, open Settings > Phone and click the Add a Phone button in Windows 10.
• When you open the Your Phone desktop app, it will ask you what type of phone you have. Click Continue after choosing Android. You will be asked to confirm your Microsoft Account on your phone. Click on Next.
• Now, download the Your Phone Companion app to your Android phone (It opens in a new window). Open the app and connect your phone to your PC by signing into your Microsoft Account or scanning the QR code. Scanning the code is quicker, so tap the Is there a QR code on your PC? link and tap Continue on the next screen.
• In the Your Phone desktop app, check the box for Yes; I finished putting Your Phone companion on my phone. Click the button labeled "Open QR Code."
• Your desktop will show a QR code. Use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code.
• Tap Continue in the mobile app and then give Your Phone the right to access your contacts, phone calls, media, and messages. Tap Continue.
• Choose for now to let the app run in the background. You can change your mind at any time. To let your phone connect to your Windows PC, tap Allow. Tap Done on the next screen. The next screen tells you that your phone and computer are connected.
• Tap the Let's Go button on your computer. The Your Phone app should then show your linked phone.
• If it's not already on, in the Your Phone app, click Settings > General and turn on the switch next to Allow this app to show photos from my phone.
• The app's main screen should automatically show your 25 most recent photos and screenshots. If not, click the word Photos and then the button that says "See photos." If you click on a picture, it will open. Right-clicking on an image will create a pop-up menu with more options, like copying, sharing, or saving the photo to your computer.

Now, let's look at a few third-party apps for the iPhone, iPad, and, in some cases, Android devices that allow you to transfer photos.

PhotoSync

PhotoSync (iOS and Android) also uses mobile and desktop apps. You can move photos to a Windows or Mac computer, a network-attached storage device, or an online storage site like OneDrive or Dropbox. The basic app is free, but you can only take low-quality JPG photos. You can transfer higher-quality images and get extra features for a one-time payment of $13.99 or a subscription of 99 cents a month or $2.99 yearly.

Install the free PhotoSync Companion app on your Windows PC or Mac after downloading the app to your phone. When you open the mobile app, your camera roll is automatically shown. Choose the pictures you want to move. Tap the red circle in the upper-right corner that says "Transfer." You can now choose to move all of the photos in your library or just the ones you choose.

Choose the location, such as your computer, another phone or tablet, or a storage site. If you choose your laptop, ensure your Windows PC or Mac runs the companion app. Tap the name of your computer in the mobile app. Then, PhotoSync moves your photos and makes a subfolder in your Pictures folder. The images will automatically open in that folder so you can look at them.

WiFi Photo Transfer‬

The free WiFi Photo Transfer app (only for iOS) creates a local web page on your network where you can view and download photos from your phone. Start the app on your phone and type the URL that shows up on the screen into your computer's browser.

The most recent pictures from your phone's photo libraries are at the top of the page. Click the link Recents to see all of your most recent pictures. Click the button that says "Download in.zip." Choose one or more photos, and then click the button that says "Download the selected photos." You download the images as a single zip file, which you can open on your PC.

Photo Transfer App 

Photo Transfer (iOS, Android) lets you move photos from your iPhone or Android device to your computer using WiFi. Using the accessible version of the mobile app, you can transfer up to 10 pictures at once. The paid version costs $6.99 and has more features, like no limits on how much you can transfer and full-resolution transfers.

Install the app on your phone, and then use the dedicated web page (It opens in a new window) to transfer photos to your computer. Open the app on your phone and tap Send. There are many ways to send pictures, but try the one that sends photos over WiFi. If you are using a Windows PC, tap the Windows icon. The next screen will tell you to run the Photo Transfer App on your computer or use your web browser.

If you plan to use the software often, I recommend installing the free Windows or Mac version on your computer because it's easier to use than the web page. Open the app on your computer, click the "Discover Devices" button, and choose your phone from the list. You can run the transfer using either WiFi or Bluetooth.

Allow the connection on your phone. The albums and libraries on your phone should appear in the app on your computer. You can now look at your pictures. If you right-click on a photo, you can save it to your computer, delete it from your phone, or both. You can also choose more than one picture to download or delete at once.

Using Email

You can send pictures from your phone to your computer using the email app of your choice. This means you don't need any wires or adapters. But this method only works if you only want to move one or two photos. Attachments to your email can only be a specific size, which photos quickly go over.

• Open the email program you want to use.
• Put your email address in the "To" box.
• Use something about what you're sending in the subject line so people know what email to look for.
• To add a photo, click on the paperclip icon. Find the picture you want to send to your gallery and ensure it's right.
• Put the email out. You don't have to add text to the email's body.
• Go to your email on your computer and look for the email you sent yourself.
• Move the mouse over the photo and click Download or the download icon, which usually looks like an arrow pointing down. Then, choose where on your computer you want to save the image. It doesn't matter if you use a Mac or a PC.